Player Discussion Erik Brännström |5'10, 181lbs | Left Handed Defenceman

[JD1]

We no longer default to giving the other team the puck back as our primary defensive scheme and actually attempt to transition to offense by skating and making passes out of the zone .

No team ever has employed a primary defensive scheme of giving the puck back. Dmen have different individual abilities to make plays that result in controlled breakouts. Off the glass and out and the high flip into the neutral zone happen when D don't have time and space. How much time and space is needed varies from one guy to the next. And we're coming out controlled better than years past and its because of the 6 guys having more ability to do that than what we dressed last year.

 

[JD1]

Go on. Or are you just wanting to attack me instead of actually tackling the content of my post?

Uhmm....i did tackle the content of your post....your reply was somewhat along the lines of "they're bad cause I said so" so I guess there's that

 

[Korpse]

Go on. Or are you just wanting to attack me instead of actually tackling the content of my post?

Context. How many minutes do those pairings have together. What situations are they on the ice for. Is there enough data. Not every situation is equal, and pretending they are incredibly misleading.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Uhmm....i did tackle the content of your post....your reply was somewhat along the lines of "they're bad cause I said so" so I guess there's that

You are confused.

 

[JD1]

You are confused.

no, I don't think so

I watch and analyze what I see without having to project a negative bias in to it...it provides clarity of mind .... try it

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

no, I don't think so

I watch and analyze what I see without having to project a negative bias in to it...it provides clarity of mind .... try it

Teach me your ways master. How can I be pure?

 

[aragorn]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with those three UFA defencemen between now & the trade deadline. I expect a couple of them to be traded, but it could also depend on where the team is ranked a few weeks before the trade deadline. Although, I doubt they are anywhere near a playoff spot at that point, but one never knows.

In any event given they are rebuilding I assume we should expect that they will try & move at least two of the three UFA D meaning DeMello, Hainsey, Boro or even Goloubef could be traded. Of course, if they are able to trade two of the three what do they do with the third at the end of the season? Do they let him walk or are they prepared to re-sign one of those guys?

Belleville's defence has had their own troubles, the defence is something that they will have to put a lot of thought into exactly how they want to move forward with what they have or make a trade or sign July 1 for a replacement or two or re-sign a defenceman or two. Rebuilding this defence won't be easy either especially with younger players that lack NHL experience. Are Lajoie, Jaros or Englund NHL ready? Wolanin could help, JBD & Thomson probably need AHL time & I doubt any of the other AHL D are good enough to play in Ottawa long term. Should be very interesting how they build this D for next season.

 

[JD1]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with those three UFA defencemen between now & the trade deadline. I expect a couple of them to be traded, but it could also depend on where the team is ranked a few weeks before the trade deadline. Although, I doubt they are anywhere near a playoff spot at that point, but one never knows.

In any event given they are rebuilding I assume we should expect that they will try & move at least two of the three UFA D meaning DeMello, Hainsey, Boro or even Goloubef could be traded. Of course, if they are able to trade two of the three what do they do with the third at the end of the season? Do they let him walk or are they prepared to re-sign one of those guys?

Belleville's defence has had their own troubles, the defence is something that they will have to put a lot of thought into exactly how they want to move forward with what they have or make a trade or sign July 1 for a replacement or two or re-sign a defenceman or two. Rebuilding this defence won't be easy either especially with younger players that lack NHL experience. Are Lajoie, Jaros or Englund NHL ready? Wolanin could help, JBD & Thomson probably need AHL time & I doubt any of the other AHL D are good enough to play in Ottawa long term. Should be very interesting how they build this D for next season.

Part of the problem in Belleville is injury.

I would not be surprised if the Sens have a verbal agreement with Hainsey that he will not be moved IF when he signed here he did so openly stating that this was his last year.

Ottawa going forward you have

Chabot
Zaitsev
Brannstrom

I cannot see both of DeMelo and Boro traded. Only one.

Wolanin healthy. Jaros. There's your 6 next year imo with jbd turning pro and playing in the A.

 

[aragorn]

Part of the problem in Belleville is injury.

I would not be surprised if the Sens have a verbal agreement with Hainsey that he will not be moved IF when he signed here he did so openly stating that this was his last year.

Ottawa going forward you have

Chabot
Zaitsev
Brannstrom

I cannot see both of DeMelo and Boro traded. Only one.

Wolanin healthy. Jaros. There's your 6 next year imo with jbd turning pro and playing in the A.

Agreed & the left overs would be the injury replacement players like Lajoie & Englund.

 

[JD1]

Agreed & the left overs would be the injury replacement players like Lajoie & Englund.

I forgot Lajoie...knew something wasn't quite right

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Wolanin injury impact. Dorion's proudest day as a GM . I like that Branstrom has been able to hang in the NHL and not be a liability but I think we want more from him. He should be working on his offense. That's what got him to the NHL. I think its great he can play D but his value will be hinged on his offense. He will also need to focus heavily on his strength and explosiveness in the off season.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with those three UFA defencemen between now & the trade deadline. I expect a couple of them to be traded, but it could also depend on where the team is ranked a few weeks before the trade deadline. Although, I doubt they are anywhere near a playoff spot at that point, but one never knows.

In any event given they are rebuilding I assume we should expect that they will try & move at least two of the three UFA D meaning DeMello, Hainsey, Boro or even Goloubef could be traded. Of course, if they are able to trade two of the three what do they do with the third at the end of the season? Do they let him walk or are they prepared to re-sign one of those guys?

Belleville's defence has had their own troubles, the defence is something that they will have to put a lot of thought into exactly how they want to move forward with what they have or make a trade or sign July 1 for a replacement or two or re-sign a defenceman or two. Rebuilding this defence won't be easy either especially with younger players that lack NHL experience. Are Lajoie, Jaros or Englund NHL ready? Wolanin could help, JBD & Thomson probably need AHL time & I doubt any of the other AHL D are good enough to play in Ottawa long term. Should be very interesting how they build this D for next season.

Early in the season I was all for trading all of the UFA defense but it's gotten tricky. Belleville desperately needs help on the blueline. If you trade Hainsey and DeMelo then you likely have to call up Lajoie and eventually Jaros. That leaves probably the worst blueline in the AHL. That is not good for the forwards down there like Abramov, Formenton, Norris, Batherson, etc. . They need defensemen who can get them the puck.

If I'm Dorion I cash out on Boro. I think some team will like his grit and give up a 4th or 5th round pick. Then I look at acquiring quality AHL D. Even veterans if need be. If you can grab a couple of those then I move Hainsey and bring up one of Lajoie or Jaros. DeMelo I probably keep for another year unless I'm offered something exceptional (eg. 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and B-prospect).

 

[aragorn]

Early in the season I was all for trading all of the UFA defense but it's gotten tricky. Belleville desperately needs help on the blueline. If you trade Hainsey and DeMelo then you likely have to call up Lajoie and eventually Jaros. That leaves probably the worst blueline in the AHL. That is not good for the forwards down there like Abramov, Formenton, Norris, Batherson, etc. . They need defensemen who can get them the puck.

If I'm Dorion I cash out on Boro. I think some team will like his grit and give up a 4th or 5th round pick. Then I look at acquiring quality AHL D. Even veterans if need be. If you can grab a couple of those then I move Hainsey and bring up one of Lajoie or Jaros. DeMelo I probably keep for another year unless I'm offered something exceptional (eg. 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and B-prospect).

You also have to consider what these UFA players want & if they might get an offer from some other team at the end of the season, they may not want to return here & you lose them anyway for nothing. Personally, I would rather move a UFA in a yr where the team isn't going to make the playoffs anyway in order to get the assets coming back, you still might be able to re-sign one or two in the off season. I agree with you & why I brought it up in the first place that it is tricky, because the defence in Belleville isn't as good as we thought it might be given the Wolanin injury seems to have effective both organizations.

There is also the possibility as to which of the defencemen not yet in Ottawa or Belleville like Thomson, Alsing & JBD whether they come over next season or not & which AHL defencemen might be NHL ready or not & which will still be around by next season. IMO PD really needs to have a long look at the defence not just in Ottawa but in the organization as a whole to determine what they do for next season & the long term. They may need to use some assets in trades to strengthen their depth in Ottawa & Belleville as you say if players decide to move on. I think the org will accommodate any player that wishes to move on by the trade deadline.

 

[Cosmix]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with those three UFA defencemen between now & the trade deadline. I expect a couple of them to be traded, but it could also depend on where the team is ranked a few weeks before the trade deadline. Although, I doubt they are anywhere near a playoff spot at that point, but one never knows.

In any event given they are rebuilding I assume we should expect that they will try & move at least two of the three UFA D meaning DeMello, Hainsey, Boro or even Goloubef could be traded. Of course, if they are able to trade two of the three what do they do with the third at the end of the season? Do they let him walk or are they prepared to re-sign one of those guys?

Belleville's defence has had their own troubles, the defence is something that they will have to put a lot of thought into exactly how they want to move forward with what they have or make a trade or sign July 1 for a replacement or two or re-sign a defenceman or two. Rebuilding this defence won't be easy either especially with younger players that lack NHL experience. Are Lajoie, Jaros or Englund NHL ready? Wolanin could help, JBD & Thomson probably need AHL time & I doubt any of the other AHL D are good enough to play in Ottawa long term. Should be very interesting how they build this D for next season.

I can see other teams being interested in the UFA Ds on this team, particularly DeMelo who has some future years left in him based on his age and performance level.

 

[TheDebater]

Was the gripe with Dorion earlier this season that he was not calling up young players and letting them play (i.e Brown, Batherson, Abramov, Formenton, Paul etc.) And now for some reason, the gripe with Dorion is that he is "rushing" young players, such as Brannstrom? I think for once, the organization is actually being reasonable with their treatment of prospects. If you want to blame anyone for rushing it was probably the old management crew with the two Murray's and how they handled guys like Cowen, Zibanejad, Ceci, Lazar.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Was the gripe with Dorion earlier this season that he was not calling up young players and letting them play (i.e Brown, Batherson, Abramov, Formenton, Paul etc.) And now for some reason, the gripe with Dorion is that he is "rushing" young players, such as Brannstrom? I think for once, the organization is actually being reasonable with their treatment of prospects. If you want to blame anyone for rushing it was probably the old management crew with the two Murray's and how they handled guys like Cowen, Zibanejad, Ceci, Lazar.

Not to me. The gripe to me as it concerns Brannstrom is him saying, upon acquiring him that it was his proudest day as a GM. Something else happened that day as well. Were there Dorion gripes on not having more prospects in the NHL lineup. I don't recall any specifically but I don't think it was a wide spread multi post gripe.

 

[stempniaksen]

Not to me. The gripe to me as it concerns Brannstrom is him saying, upon acquiring him that it was his proudest day as a GM. Something else happened that day as well. Were there Dorion gripes on not having more prospects in the NHL lineup. I don't recall any specifically but I don't think it was a wide spread multi post gripe.

It was definitely a gripe, but I think it was more in the context of the team saying there will be kids in the lineup (The Kids are Alright!) followed by a stretch of games where Chabot, Tkachuk, White (pre-injury) and Brannstrom were the only "kids" in the lineup. Tough to keep track of all the gripes around here these days though

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

It was definitely a gripe, but I think it was more in the context of the team saying there will be kids in the lineup (The Kids are Alright!) followed by a stretch of games where Chabot, Tkachuk, White (pre-injury) and Brannstrom were the only "kids" in the lineup. Tough to keep track of all the gripes around here these days though

I remember that but I don't remember it being directed at Dorion specifically.. although he is in the mix.. I think people were commenting on the disconnect between the marketing and what was going on.. and that disconnect being a little more organizational disfunction.

 

[TheDebater]

I remember that but I don't remember it being directed at Dorion specifically.. although he is in the mix.. I think people were commenting on the disconnect between the marketing and what was going on.. and that disconnect being a little more organizational disfunction.

There are maybe 4 people running this team, it is hard to mis-place the blame

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

There are maybe 4 people running this team, it is hard to mis-place the blame

Well I think it would be simpler if called it a Dorion gripe if Dorion or his position was mentioned in the gripe.

 

[stempniaksen]

Early in the season I was all for trading all of the UFA defense but it's gotten tricky. Belleville desperately needs help on the blueline. If you trade Hainsey and DeMelo then you likely have to call up Lajoie and eventually Jaros. That leaves probably the worst blueline in the AHL. That is not good for the forwards down there like Abramov, Formenton, Norris, Batherson, etc. . They need defensemen who can get them the puck.

While this is a valid point, I don't think it would be particularly hard to trade for (or claim on waivers) fodder defenceman who can play on the NHL squad post deadline if they plan on keeping the kids in Belleville. Every year we see guys like Chris Wideman, Korbinian Holzer, Martin Marincin, ect hit waivers. I'd have no issue taking a shot on a couple of guys of that ilk if it means being able to move Hainsey/Boro/Demelo for value.

Pre-deadline/sell-off:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Hainsey
Borowiecki - Demelo
Wolanin (IR) - Goloubef

Post-deadline/sell-off/Wolanin return:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Wolanin - Trade/Waiver
Brannstrom - Trade/Waiver
Goloubef

Keeps Lajoie and Jaros in the minors (where they belong, imo) and if the team holds on to a guy like Boro because they deem his presence more valuable than the mid round pick they could get, than it gives them the opportunity to send a guy like Brannstrom down as well.

I just don't think you turn down "value" for pending UFA's when you're in the Senators position.

 

[aragorn]

While this is a valid point, I don't think it would be particularly hard to trade for (or claim on waivers) fodder defenceman who can play on the NHL squad post deadline if they plan on keeping the kids in Belleville. Every year we see guys like Chris Wideman, Korbinian Holzer, Martin Marincin, ect hit waivers. I'd have no issue taking a shot on a couple of guys of that ilk if it means being able to move Hainsey/Boro/Demelo for value.

Pre-deadline/sell-off:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Hainsey
Borowiecki - Demelo
Wolanin (IR) - Goloubef

Post-deadline/sell-off/Wolanin return:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Wolanin - Trade/Waiver
Brannstrom - Trade/Waiver
Goloubef

Keeps Lajoie and Jaros in the minors (where they belong, imo) and if the team holds on to a guy like Boro because they deem his presence more valuable than the mid round pick they could get, than it gives them the opportunity to send a guy like Brannstrom down as well.

I just don't think you turn down "value" for pending UFA's when you're in the Senators position.

I tend to agree with you in a rebuilding yr that Ottawa can't or shouldn't really say no to any deal involving thier UFAs, if the idea is to build with youth through the draft. I just don't see any of their UFAs as long term solutions in Ottawa including Pageau who has been great for the Ottawa market. IMO this yr & next they should be acquiring all the assets they can with picks/prospects that they can use to upgrade wherever & whenever possible to improve the future of the team.

For example, if they can get a 1st rd pick now for Pageau while his value is high they should absolutely do that & use that 1st, including in a package to move up, to get the best prospect(s) possible. IMO that's what rebuilding should be, to acquire the best prospects/players possible for the future of the team & franchise that will some day soon compete for a cup.

 

[stempniaksen]

I tend to agree with you in a rebuilding yr that Ottawa can't or shouldn't really say no to any deal involving thier UFAs, if the idea is to build with youth through the draft. I just don't see any of their UFAs as long term solutions in Ottawa including Pageau who has been great for the Ottawa market. IMO this yr & next they should be acquiring all the assets they can with picks/prospects that they can use to upgrade wherever & whenever possible to improve the future of the team.

For example, if they can get a 1st rd pick now for Pageau while his value is high they should absolutely do that & use that 1st, including in a package to move up, to get the best prospect(s) possible. IMO that's what rebuilding should be, to acquire the best prospects/players possible for the future of the team & franchise that will some day soon compete for a cup.

I think there's 3 UFA's on the team currently you could make an argument for keeping through the rebuild, but that's cherry picking a bit. In general I'm in agreement with what you posted. There will be a point in time where we need to hold on to some of our pieces to begin the "rebuild" part of the rebuild, but imo we're in another (hopefully the last) tank year and the arguments for shipping the UFA's out (typically) trump the reasons to keep them.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

While this is a valid point, I don't think it would be particularly hard to trade for (or claim on waivers) fodder defenceman who can play on the NHL squad post deadline if they plan on keeping the kids in Belleville. Every year we see guys like Chris Wideman, Korbinian Holzer, Martin Marincin, ect hit waivers. I'd have no issue taking a shot on a couple of guys of that ilk if it means being able to move Hainsey/Boro/Demelo for value.

Pre-deadline/sell-off:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Hainsey
Borowiecki - Demelo
Wolanin (IR) - Goloubef

Post-deadline/sell-off/Wolanin return:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Wolanin - Trade/Waiver
Brannstrom - Trade/Waiver
Goloubef

Keeps Lajoie and Jaros in the minors (where they belong, imo) and if the team holds on to a guy like Boro because they deem his presence more valuable than the mid round pick they could get, than it gives them the opportunity to send a guy like Brannstrom down as well.

I just don't think you turn down "value" for pending UFA's when you're in the Senators position.

We have a few bodies we could move . When do you think Dorion should get started or should it be ongoing starting now?

 

[stempniaksen]

We have a few bodies we could move . When do you think Dorion should get started or should it be ongoing starting now?

Should be on-going, imo. But between injuries, lack of depth on defence and no one wanting half our UFA's I don't particularly blame PD for sitting on his hands right now.

UFA's who could still be re-signed (imo): JG Pageau, Vlad Namestnikov, Dylan Demelo
UFA's that will be a tough sell: Mikkel Boedker, Craig Anderson, Jordan Swarz?
UFA's we "need" to hold until healthy: Ron Hainsey, Dylan Demelo, Mark Borowiecki

It's kind of crazy to me that the team only has 10 healthy defenceman under contract (playing in the NHL/AHL) as of now. It's an issue everyone and their mother could see coming and yet here we are, "unable" to trade veteran defecemen because of depth issues.